It has looked like the relegation battle has been over for quite a while for two teams in particular. Sheffield United and Burnley have looked appalling compared to the rest of the league, and the pair have remained in 20th and 19th for months.
Meanwhile Luton Town, who achieved promotion in the dramatic play-off final last season, have made a decent fist of Premier League survival, but they still occupy the final place in the relegation zone.
Despite a subpar showing from the Blades and the Clarets, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown holds the belief that Burnley’s chances of avoiding relegation this season could hinge on potential points deductions for Everton and Nottingham Forest.
During his appearance on the BBC’s Final Score, the pundit highlighted Chris Sutton’s earlier assertion that the Clarets had “no chance” of staying up in the current campaign.
He stated: “Chris (Sutton) was saying at the start of today that they had no chance of staying up. He’s probably right, but let’s see what happens with the deductions from the teams above them, they’ve got a chance.”
Can Burnley mount a miraculous Premier League survival mission?
Burnley’s victory against Brentford has provided them with a faint glimmer of hope for staying up this season, although their fate hinges on developments concerning Everton and Forest.
In the grand scheme of things, Vincent Kompany will probably reflect on this campaign and be self-critical. Some of the transfer dealings have been eyebrow raising to say the least, but there have been a few good ones amongst the poor signings. Such as the January window arrival of in-form striker David Fofana.
If the club do return to the Championship then it won’t be a given that they can yo-yo back to the Premier League given the competitive nature of the division.